Satisfaction [NCT]

15.

Taeyong basically forced Jaehyun to get in the car with him and Mark. Mark was still unconscious and lying down in the back seat of Taeyong's car.

"Very nice and sleek." Jaehyun said in English, expressing his feelings even though no one would understand him.

"What?" Taeyong asked in Korean. Jaehyun waited a couple seconds before speaking. He didn't want one of the first sentences he speaks to Taeyong to be wrong.

"Your car, it's nice." He said simply.

"Oh." Taeyong said, making Jaehyun feel awkward. "Thanks." The car fell silent afterward. Jaehyun wished Taeyong would turn on music because the silent car ride is not fun for him at all.

"How long until we get to the hospital?" Jaehyun spoke in perfect Korean. Taeyong hummed as he thought about the answer.

"As long as there's no traffic it should be about 10 minutes." Taeyong said, and with that, the car became silent again.

At the hospital, Taeyong took the lead. Jaehyun walked by a now conscious Mark, barely holding onto him but ready to catch him if he faints. The boys had to wait for a doctor to be ready. It was very awkward between the three boys and luckily Taeyong got a call from someone Jaehyun assumes to be Mark's parents. He tried to call them earlier but they didn't pick up. He filled them in on where they were and what had happened. Mark's dad was on his way to the hospital to take care of his son so Taeyong and Jaehyun can go back to the school. Until then, the boys sat on uncomfortable ER chairs.

A nurse came and got the boys, bringing them to an empty room, but then left them alone again. "At least the chairs are more comfortable." Taeyong attempted a joke as he sat down. Jaehyun and Taeyong were seated in chairs next to each other, while Mark laid down on the bed.

"Yeah, I-" Jaehyun started to say a new sentence but stopped himself, knowing what he planned to say was not even interesting enough for how much pain he would have to go through to say it. Taeyong raised his eyebrow at Jaehyun, whose mouth had closed after his attempt at speaking.

A couple seconds later, Taeyong couldn't handle the tension in the room. "So Jaehyun, what's your story?"

"What do you mean?" Jaehyun asked.

"Well, why did you move schools?" Jaehyun visibly gulped at the question. An image of Doyoung appeared in his mind. Taeyong picked up on the act and quickly talked again. "Or maybe not. What about where did you live before?"

"I lived in America, but before, I lived in Seoul." Jaehyun explained.

"Oh so you are originally from here?" Taeyong asked. Jaehyun nodded. "So this isn't your first time to speak Korean then?" He asked. Jaehyun had to process what he said for a longer time but eventually shook his head.

"I learned it as a kid but—" he paused thinking of the rest of the sentence. "When I moved, I was still young and I had to learn English. My- my parents started to speak English at our- at our home- so I- forgot most of my Korean." He stuttered multiple times before the end of the sentence, but he was still proud of himself. This was the most he's spoken in Korean to a classmate.

"I see. How long have you spent learning Korean?" Taeyong made more conversation.

"About a month." Jaehyun said, he moved to Korea a month ago but didn't start school going to school until this week. Until then, he took online classes that gave his schools time to transfer all his records and gave him time to get back on his feet after everything that had happened.

"Really? Just a month?" Taeyong was surprised at this. Jaehyun just nodded. "You're doing really well." Taeyong complimented him, causing a smile to form on Jaehyun's face. His dimples became exposed for the first time since he has been in Korea.